Apparatus for winding double twist threads

ABSTRACT

APPARATUS FOR WINDING DOUBLE TWIST THREADS OR WIRES INCLUDES A CRADLE SUSPENDED BETWEEN AND ROTATABLE ON HOLLOW SHAFTS THROUGH WHICH THE FILAMENT EXTENDS. A HOLLOW GUIDE CONDUCTS THE FILAMENT ABOUT ONE SIDE OF THE CRADLE AND IS DYNAMICALLY BALANCED AND IS SUPPORTED BY STIFFENING RODS THAT ARE DISPOSED IN PAIRS ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE CRADLE AND THAT BOW OUTWARDLY AWAY FROM THE CRADLE AND INWARDLY TOWARD EACH OTHER ON EACH SIDE OF THE CRADLE. THE THREAD GUIDE ASSEMBLY IS IN A NUMBER OF PIECES THAT ARE CONNECTED TOGETHER AND CONNECTED TO THE CRADLE THROUGH VIBRATION DAMPING RESILIENT MATERIAL.

Feb. 23, 1971 J. FZ"M. BONNABAUD ETAL 3,564,831

APP ARATUS FOR WINDING DOUBLE TWIST THREADS Filed June 17, 1968 ZSheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1 09/ M7 FIG.3 Arm/s 19/97 JOAN/V85 FenA/c/s 44min fialwmmuo Arm 5.

Feb. 23, 1971 BONNABAUD ETAL 3,564,831

APPARATUS FOR WINDING DOUBLE TWIST THREADS Filed June 17, 17968 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jomvws fieA/vc/s M/mcn da/v/vnaeuo c upe Bear IN VENTORS United States Patent 49,005 Int. Cl. D01h 1/10 US. Cl. 57-5852 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for winding double twist threads or wires includes a cradle suspended between and rotatable on hollow shafts through which the filament extends. A hollow guide conducts the filament about one side of the cradle and is dynamically balanced and is supported by stilfening rods that are disposed in pairs on opposite sides of the cradle andthat bow outwardly away from the cradle and inwardly toward each other on each side of the cradle. The thread guide assembly is in a number of pieces that are connected together and connected to the cradle through vibration damping resilient material.

This invention concerns an apparatus for winding double twist threads or wires.

According to the present invention an apparatus for Winding double twist threads or wires is characterised in that pieces of vibration damping, supple and resilient material, are inserted between each part of a thread guide device and, at the points where the thread guide device is fixed, between its ends and the corresponding parts of a pair of half shafts of the apparatus.

The invention will now be described further by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGS. 1 to 3 are schematic side elevations of known forms of winding apparatus,

FIG. 4 is a schematic side elevation of an apparatus made in accordance with the invention,

FIG. 5 is a plan view of part of the arrangement of FIG. 4,

FIG. 6 is a cross section on an enlarged scale of a part of the apparatus,

FIGS. 7 and 8 are perspective views showing part of an embodiment of the apparatus.

A known twisting apparatus consists, as the FIG. 1, of a cradle 6 suspended on two half-shafts 2 and 5 rotating in synchronism. The threads or wires to be assembled penetrate to the interior through the half-shaft 2, circulate on the small wheels 3a, 3b, 4a, 4b rotate with the half-shafts and pass out from the shaft 5 to enter the cradle where they are drawn onto the spool 7, supported by the cradle. By this process, on each revolution of the half-shafts, two twists of the assembly of threads are made without it being necessary to rotate the receiving spool 7 about the axis of the half-shafts 2 and 5. To ensure the synchronisation of the half-shafts 2 and 5, these are joined together by a rigid frame 9 and 10 which has a considerable inertia.

To overcome this inertia, a first improvement which has allowed the rotational speeds to be increased, consisted in doing away with the pieces 9 and 10 and connecting the half-shafts by an intermediate shaft 11 and pinions 12 and chains 13 as FIG. 2 shows, or any other positive system. With this arrangement however the thread ballooned between the small wheels 3a and 4a under the effect of centrifugal force which limits the speed or p we makes it necessary to place a blade, a tube or any other member, whereon thread guides could be fixed, between the small wheels.

On the other hand, at high speeds, the small wheels 3a and 411 at a distance from the axis of rotation were subjected to substantial centrifugal forces which presents considerable problems in the choice of a suitable bearing and lubricating system which compelled a limitation of the diameter of the small wheels and this is not favourable for obtaining a good quality of the assembly.

An important improvement subsequently consisted in guiding the thread (FIG. 3) between the small wheels 3!] and 4b, along a path substantially corresponding to the natural curve of the threads at high speed under the action of centrifugal force as FIG. 3 shows. The outer return wheels were thus done away with and the inertia of the assembly is reduced considerably which allows a further increase in the speed of this type of machine, providing the guide device for the threads is sufliciently light.

This device could be a tube or a series of thread guides fixed on a blade or between two rods. Unfortunately several accidents due to the breakage of the thread guide system have occurred with this device, which again constituted a limit to the increase of the speed. It has been found that these breakages were due to an excessive fatigue of the materials, consequent on the transmission of vibration from the machine to the guide device connecting the two shafts.

The apparatus of the present invention includes, in the known manner, two half-shafts 2 and 5 carrying a cradle 6. The synchronisation of the rotary movement of the said two half-shafts is assured by a shaft 11 by means of two transmission devices consisting of toothed wheels 12 wrapped by chains 13.

The inner end of the half-shafts 2 and 5 carry rotors, 14 and 15 respectively taking part in the rotational guiding of the cradle 6 and in the fixing and driving in rotation of the thread guide device by means of flanges 14a, 15a. The rotor 14 includes wheels 31) and 16 acting as guides for the threads passing from the hollow shaft 2 and the rotor 15 is fitted with a wheel 4b around which the threads, passing from the thread guide device, pass before entering into the hollow shaft 5 to be transferred to the receiving spool 7 of the cradle 6.

The thread guide device consists of two metal rods 17 and 18 having a curvature akin to that of the threads when the cradle rotates and whose ends are secured to the rotors 14 and 15.

For this purpose the free end of each rod 17 or 18, provided with a lock nut 20 (see FIG. 6), passes through a split conical bush 22 which is fitted in a corresponding bore in a member 23 and which is immobilised by a nut 24. Thus all traction stress on each rod strengthens the locking of the bush 22 on the latter.

Each member 23 is mounted for free rotation on an axle 25 passing through the corresponding rotor to receive the member 23 fastened to the other rod.

In accordance with the invention, the axle 25 is supported in the corresponding bore of the rotor by means of an antivibratory device consisting of two metal sleeves 26 and 27 between which a rubber sleeve 28 is inserted, the sleeve 26 being fitted into the bore, the sleeve 27 being fitted onto the shaft 25.

Each of the rods 17 or 18 passes through the flanges 14a and 15a which ensure its rotation around the longitudinal axis of the winding apparatus. This passage is eifected by means of a rubber tube 29 located in a piece 30 of metal fixed onto each flange as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7.

In this embodiment the thread guides consist of plates 32, each having a central hole wherein the thread guide 33 proper is disposed, and two lateral holes for the passage of the rods 17 and 18 which support them. The positioning of these different plates is assured by antivibratory tubes 34 of plastics material fitted on the rods 17 and 18 between the central thread guides and between the outer ones and the flanges 14a and 15a as shown in FIGS. 5 and 8. In this way a light, supple and deformable assembly is obtained, which is however sufficiently rigid not to be able to knock against the different parts of the suspended cradle during rotation; a certain rigidity being given to the assembly by nonparallel mounting of the rods 17 and 18 as shown in FIG. 5. Two rods 36 and 37 are mounted symmetrically in the same manner allowing the dynamic equilibrium of the rods 17 and 18 to be obtained exactly, the deformation of the two assemblies being identical at any given speed.

As can be seen from FIG. 5, the metal rods converge so that the distance separating them decreases between their points of fixation on the rotors so as to resist the tangential forces due to the air resistance and to the effects of a sudden or rapid braking of the apparatus.

Due to this arrangement, the thread guide device does not receive any vibration and can thus rotate much faster.

This new device therefore allows decidedly increased rotational speeds and with perfect safety. On the other hand, it oflers very little resistance to air, which is important because, at very high speeds, the resistance constitutes the main factor for the determination of the power needed for the drive.

What we claim is:

1. Apparatus for winding double twist threads or wires comprising a pair of shafts, a cradle mounted to rotate on said shaft, a thread guide assembly mounted on said cradle and rotatable therewith, said thread guide assembly comprising a plurality of elements, vibration damping, supple and resilient means connecting said shaft to 4 said cradle and said thread guide assembly to said cradle, further said vibration damping, supple and resilient means interconnecting said elements of said thread guide assembly.

2. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said thread guide assembly comprising metal rods disposed in pairs on opposite sides of the cradle, each pair of rods bowing outwardly away from the cradle, a rod connecting each pair of rods at each end thereof with the shafts, a rubber sleeve interconnecting said rod with the associated shaft.

3. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said thread guide assembly comprising a pair of metal rods that bow outwardly from one side of the cradle, a plurality of thread guide struts spaced apart from each other along and interconnected by said rods, and elastic deformable sleeves fitted on the rods and spacing the struts apart.

4. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said thread guide assembly including metal rods that bow outwardly from the cradle, flanges fixed to the shafts, said rods passing through said flanges, and an elastic deformable connection between the rods and the flanges.

5. Apparatus as claimed in claim 1, the thread guide assembly comprising pairs of metal rods that bow outwardly from the cradle on opposite sides of the cradle, the rods of each pair bowing inwardly toward each other.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,576,124 11/1951 Kingsbury 5758.74 2,921,429 1/1960 Haugwitz 5758.52 3,138,914 6/1964 Blaisdell I et al. 5758.52 3,142,952 8/1964 Krafft et a1. 5758.52 3,147,580 9/1964 Blaisdell II et a1. 5758.52 3,222,857 12/1965 Keyser 5758.49

DONALD E. WATKINS, Primary Examiner 

